


The Pet Talk

by Moonrose91



Series: The Married Life of Clint Barton and Phil Coulson (as told by Clint Barton) [3]
Category: Marvel (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Pet Talk, SHIELD Husbands, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2012-12-03
Packaged: 2017-11-20 04:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonrose91/pseuds/Moonrose91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We're married; you can't take it back now," Phil stated in a slightly teasing tone, but Clint hates it when Phil gets like that, because Clint sometimes thinks Phil <em>isn't</em> kidding and, really, Clint is supposed to be the insecure one in the relationship, not Phil.</p><p>So, instead of retorting flippantly, he snorted as he flopped down next to Phil.</p><p>"Like I ever would. No, just...did you ever want a pet?" he asked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pet Talk

It was a rare day off for both Clint  _and_ Phil.

Clint considered that rarer then a blue moon, because Phil resisted any and all attempts at taking any time off.

Admittedly, it was one of the reasons that Clint loved him so (oh, that was sappy, he was never saying that out loud, never, ever), but it was hard on Clint. After their honeymoon, and after their one year anniversary in Vegas (after Phil lost his Cygnets to Maria Hill for training and oh, the bruises that Clint had given them all, oh they were glorious, really, Clint was far too proud of himself over that), they hadn’t seen each other outside of work.

Or, at least, it felt that way.

They had time together, of course, but not enough. Moments practically stolen and Clint bribing Phil away from his desk and onto the couch for a temple massage and…

“You’re thinking too much,” Phil grumbled, curling up against Clint’s side and burying his nose into Clint’s shoulder.

Clint smiled and wrapped his arm more securely around Phil’s shoulders. “Sorry swan,” he murmured softly and Phil groaned quietly.

“Why do you call me that?”

“Would you prefer ‘snookiebear’?” Clint retorted.

“Oh, God, please stop,” Phil grumbled.

“Oooh. I like that nickname,” Clint responded and Phil thwacked him upside the head before settling back down. He let out a low sigh that tickled Clint’s neck before falling back into a doze. Clint began to rub Phil’s back and slowly, but surely, Phil fell back asleep.

Clint smiled and glanced over at the clock, nearly wincing when he saw it was three fifteen in the morning.

He sighed softly and closed his eyes.

Phil needed at least another three hours of sleep to survive the day without a headache and Clint smiled a bit before he settled down.

He could settle for three more hours himself.

* * *

Clint read his book, or tried to at least.

He kept glancing up at Phil, who was reading his own book ( _The Art of War_ , specifically), and he stood up with a sigh before he set his book on the coffee table. Phil glanced up in concern and Clint smiled warmly at him. “I’m going to go for a run. Do you want me to get you anything while I’m out?” Clint asked gently and Phil stared up at him in surprise.

Even after _years_ of being together, Clint was always thrown by how open Phil was around him (and visa-versa), and, every time Phil looked surprised, Clint had to crush his desire to hunt down every person who ever made Phil feel small, even if he could never wrap his mind around that fact.

He couldn’t even _begin_ to fathom how Phil could have _ever_ thought himself so insignificant that he was surprised by the smallest things that Clint did with Phil in mind. More obvious now that they were married then they were dating.

“There is a small British shop around the corner. They sell loose leaf Earl Grey tea. When you’re coming back, if you could pick some up, I would be grateful,” Phil answered after a short pause, his voice slightly hesitant (as if Clint didn’t already know Phil’s addiction to loose leaf tea, and as if Clint hadn’t taught himself how to prepare it properly when Phil comes home far too late with a pounding headache and a desperate need for chamomile tea) and Clint smiled, before he leaned over and gave Phil a quick kiss, not protesting when it turned into a quick _series_ of kisses.

Phil had returned to his book by the time Clint was already heading for the door, but he had the small happy smile on his face that came with complete bliss.

Clint was _very_ familiar with that expression, much to his personal pride.

* * *

Clint watched Phil from where he was leaning against the wall, curls of steam rising from the tea Clint had made for Phil.

Clint, himself, preferred herb tea, as he did _not_ need caffeine.

Ever.

It made him jittery.

“I just realized something,” Clint stated and Phil glanced over at him.

“And what’s that?” Phil asked as Clint walked over, carefully setting the tea cup and saucer down on the end table next to Phil’s end of the sofa.

Phil gave him a thankful smile and Clint smiled back before he answered, “That we never had the Pet Talk.”

Phil stared at Clint from over his glasses and smiled a bit. “We’re married; you can’t take it back now,” Phil stated in a slightly teasing tone, but Clint _hates_ that tone.

Mostly because Clint thinks that this tone isn’t as teasing as it sounds. As if he’s genuinely worried that Clint will _regret_ marrying _Phil_.

Why?

Clint still counted his lucky stars that Phil said _yes_ , of all things. Seriously, the fact Phil said ‘yes’ was something Clint had had trouble grasping for about four months into their married life.

Either way, it is _Clint_ who is supposed to be the insecure one in the relationship, not Phil.

So, instead of doing what he would normally do (be flippant), he snorts and flops down next to Phil on the sofa before deciding he would rather be sitting on Phil’s lap.

Phil moves his book, and arms, to accommodate his lapful of Clint and Clint smiles at him. “As if. I worked too hard to get you to the alter,” Clint stated, ignoring the minor interruption from Phil of _logic_ , (such as “We weren’t married at an alter, or anywhere near one or a church.”), and he continued as if he wasn’t interrupted at all with a simple, “So, nope, not letting you go, ever.”

Phil laughed softly and Clint leaned down, resting his forehead against Phil’s, before he pulled Phil into a kiss. Clint grinned as he felt the book tap him lightly on the back of the head, and he began to rub his thumbs along Phil’s neck gently, feeling his heartbeat speed up at the mingling of their heartbeats whenever his thumb ran over Phil’s pulse.

“What is the Pet Talk?” Phil asked when they parted for air.

“Did you ever want a pet? Or to get a pet,” Clint explained.

“I always wanted a cat,” Phil answered softly.

“Me too,” Clint answered and Phil raised an eyebrow at him, leaning into Clint’s fingers as they began to massage his neck.

“Can you really see us keeping one alive?” Phil murmured softly and Clint nodded, before he leaned down to give Phil another kiss on the lips.

“Why on _Earth_ do you think that we would be able to keep a cat alive with our lifestyle?” Phil questioned.

“Well…Daisy from across the hall loves cats, along with _her_ partner, Lotus Blossom. They are delightful people. And then there’s Angel, right above us, with _her_ boyfriend, along with their friends who all share the apartment with them, and then there’s Jimmy downstairs. And they all love you too. Jimmy was very depressed when he learned we became life partners, so maybe not Jimmy, and, admittedly, Daisy and Lotus Blossom are not the _best_ choices, so Angel and her boyfriend and their friends, yes, definitely,” Clint explained, pausing to ghost kisses along Phil’s neck.

Phil gasped quietly and then shifted his head to urge Clint up, pulling him into a breath stealing kiss.

Clint whimpered lowly in his chest and Phil pulled back.

“Very well, we have cat-sitters. Start an argument for why we should get a cat,” Phil stated and Clint whimpered.

“You’re making me think? You are a cruel, cruel man,” Clint stated and gently nipped Phil’s earlobe.

It took awhile for _either_ of them to get coherent thought.

* * *

“Next time we have some substantial time off, we’ll get a cat,” Phil stated, running his hand through Clint’s hair and Clint leaned into the motion.

“Wonderful. And the name will be Billie-Jo,” Clint answered and Phil groaned, leaning up to burying his head into Clint’s shoulder while the archer laughed.

He loved doing that to Phil.

**Author's Note:**

> Someone asked me, IRL, why I kept making Phil and Clint, one, gay, and two, married to each other.
> 
> The simple reason is that it started with a prompt.
> 
> It grew from there.
> 
> It started off with just giving someone else what they wanted. And then I grew to love the pairing. I just adopted them. I can see them as being together.
> 
> Also...I need to stop watching Doctor Who and Thor on the same day.
> 
> *headdesks*
> 
> I really, really, do.
> 
> Also, yes, Angel and her boyfriend and their friends are based off the same Angel and her boyfriend and their friends from RENT.
> 
> It is a shameless, shameless, shout out to a musical I love beyond all reason.


End file.
